Thinking

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Green (err...) life

Why should life be all gloomy? This article provoked such thoughts in me immediately:

http://www.livescience.com/environment/earth-temp-may-exceed-livable-limits-100504.html

Why not we humans learn to see opportunity in the midst of calamity and look for alternatives?

Just a single alternative that I could think of - Is it not possible to plant a few million trees by then that could bring down the overall warming levels to a normal stage? If each of us can think of such ways by which this calamity could be avoided, we certainly can avoid it. After all, what is a society or civilization if not individuals!

Take a look at the Project Green Hands effort by Isha Foundation (http://www.projectgreenhands.org/). As Sadhguru says, to plant and nurture a tree to grow is one of the noblest things to do (amidst all other nonsense) towards the future generations. If of the 6 billion people, only 10% decide to plant just 1 tree and see it grow in their life time, we would still end up with 600 million trees making the earth greener by a big percentage!! And this is just assuming 1 person cares for only 1 tree in their entire life time.

If we teach our children in schools to plant / nurture trees, I am sure that will be one of the best things to happen to them too. The joy in seeing something grow, especially if it is out of your efforts, is to be experienced by everyone.

Let us make it happen ... Let us strive for a positive thinking happy world.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Damn the ride ...

It was a grueling 2 and half hours sitting session today. No, I am not talking about any training session am attending, although that would be grueling as well :)) This is about my travel from office to home.

I take the office bus daily. Morning trips are usually ok even considering the sweltering Chennai heat that makes me sweat all over at 7 am itself. At least I get to reach my office in an hour's time.

It is the evening trip that starts at 6:20 or so and seemingly goes on forever till I reach my destination. It is usually bad enough filling your ears with the incessant honks of all anxious drivers starting home & your nostrils with all the smoke. Most Chennaiites can immediately identify with what am talking about. Today was an exceptionally bad day as I reached 30 more minutes later than the usual 2 hour return journey.

If you think "What? only 30 minutes and this idiot is going cranky about it", I would love to invite you to sit with me through the silence for entire period and then you will realize it ... the pain.

I tried listening to music, reading a book, chatting with my friends, playing games on my mobile and finally even resigning to silence. None of it worked to my satisfaction, at least not today. But endure I did and when I stepped out, ufff ... what a relief it was. It was such a relief that having to stand for 5 minutes to cross the road as pedestrian really did not matter that much nor did bargaining with the fruits vendor. I guess I was more grateful than anything to have finished the damn ride.

Those moments of gratefulness during the walk back home had me realize that when I look at life events from a grateful perspective, even the seemingly trivial & irritating stuff is not really so. You just need to have gone through a more drilling experience prior to it :))

Signing off now with the hope that such grueling trips don't become frequent and are more an exception. Wish me luck :)

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Smoke Smoke all over

I had been thinking about blogging this for a very long time now.

I don't like smoking and cigarette smoke in fact but not necessarily smokers. Of late though, I have begun to hate some of these smokers, the ones who do it irresponsibly. I give a damn for people who want to smoke their lives away but those who do it in front of non-smokers blatantly especially in front of children, get onto my nerves and that is what I mean by smoking irresponsibly.

Those people seem to obviously not care smoking right onto the faces of their own children! I have seen it scores of times during my daily drive to office and back home. They might say 'who the hell are you to ask about this?' ... I don't have a proper answer but I do care!

Children are the future generation and nipping those buds with smoke is the most horrible thing I can imagine being done to them. These same people would crib tomorrow if their son or daughter takes money from their own purses to smoke right in front of them. At that time, they will cry that the youth is all spoilt not realizing the seeds have been theirs!

If anybody might be doing such things themselves inadvertently, I request such people to stop and look at what they are doing to themselves and to our future generation. If even 2 people change themselves for the better and cascade that among people they know, we can leave the world a much better place to live.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Blog operations ... no tech

I am doing a "Blogeperation" ... basically separation of my blog into two. This one (http://mrrajasekhar.blogspot.com) is going to retain all my personal stuff while my new blog (http://bigfundutech.blogspot.com) is going to contain all the tech stuff. Over the next week or so, I will be moving all my tech stuff from this one.So, I request a bit of patience from all those following my blog(s) :-)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Soundarya Lahari (Short version)

These are the Soundarya Lahari lyrics, again taken from a web site (http://www.sankaracharya.org/soundarya_lahari.php) but modified as sung on the Ye Devi CD from Isha foundation. Another brilliant composition from Isha :)

Mahim muladhare kamapi manipure huthavaham
Sthitham svadhistane hridi marutamakasam upari;
Mano'pi bhruu-madhye sakalamapi bhittva kula-patham
Sahasrare padme saha rahasi patyaa viharase.

Sudha-dhara-sarais carana-yugalanta vigalitaih
Prapancham sinchanti punarapi ras'amnaya-mahasah;
Avapya svam bhumim bhujaga-nibham adhyusta-valayam
Svam atmanam krtva svapishi kulakunde kuharini.

Jagat suthe dhata harir avati rudrah kshapayate
Tiraskurvan etat svam api vapurisastirayati;
Sada-purvah sarvam tad idamanugrhnati cha Shiva-
Stavajnam aalambya kshana-chalitayor bhru-latikayoh.

Japo jalpah shilpam sakalam api mudra-virachana
Gatih pradaksinya-kramanam asanady'ahuti-vidhih;
Pranamah samvesah sukham akilam atmarpana-drsa
Saparya-paryayas tava bhavatu yan me vilasitam.

Thava swadhishtane huthavahamadhishtaya niratham
Thameede sarvatha janani mahathim tham cha samayam
Yadhaloke lokan dhahathi mahasi krodha kalithe
Dhayardhra ya drushti sishiramupacharam rachayathi.

Thavadhare mole saha samayaya lasyaparaya
Navathmanam manye navarasa maha thandava natam;
Ubhabhya Methabhyamudaya vidhi muddhisya dhayaya
Sanadhabyam jagne janaka jananimatha jagathidam.

Vibhaktha-traivarnyam vyatikaritha-lila'njanathaya
Vibhati tvan-netra-trithayam idam Isana-dayite;
Punah strashtum devan Druhina-Hari-Rudran uparatan
Rajah sattvam vibhrat thama ithi gunanam trayam iva.

Mahim muladhare kamapi manipure huthavaham!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Devi Sthuthi

This is the DEVI STUTHI as taken from a web site (http://www.eaisai.com/baba/docs/sldevi.html) but modified as sung on the Ye Devi CD from Isha foundation. The way it is sung is simply amazing with the pitch and beats picking up every 4 stanzas. It just melts me everytime I listen to it. :)

Yaa Devi Sarva Bhooteshu Chetanetyaabhi Dheeyate!